Monthly Archives: September 2011

Witchy Newton

Thalanes dug into Calvin’s pack and pulled out his powderhorn.  He shook a pinch of the gunpowder into the palm of one hand.  “I want you to use this gunpowder as a material component of the gramarye.  “Just like you … Continue reading

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Iron Andy’s Reputation

Bob clucked like a chicken.  “Po’ little Angus, gettin’ scairt by a girl!” “To hell with the girl!” Angus barked.  “I’d chop her to pieces right here and now and eat her heart raw and not miss a wink of … Continue reading

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Milieu

I’m working on a rewrite the main objective of which is to get more milieu detail into my novel Witchy Eye.  This is fun, and it has me thinking about ways to communicate milieu to a reader, in any book … Continue reading

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Essential Classics: The Child Ballads

If you read many liner notes or recollections of sixties folkies, you will inevitably come across references to the Child Ballads, expressed either exactly like that or else as follows: “this song is a variant of Child #86.” “Child Ballads” … Continue reading

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3000

Hey, passed 3000 pageviews.  I’m sure the 1,000,000 mark is just around the corner.  If I cluttered up my blog with ads I could make, like, a nickel.

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What Is Steampunk? (City of the Saints: Edgar Allan Poe)

Another illustration from Jeff:

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Stephen Foster (II): I Dream of Jeannie and Beautiful Dreamer

As part of my ongoing crusade for cultural literacy, here are two more Stephen Foster songs. And that last one really needs an encore. Seriously, Stephen Foster was the bomb.

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Stephen Foster (I): Oh! Susanna and Hard Times, Come Again No More

Stephen Foster was the great American songwriter of the nineteenth century.  Here are a couple of his you may recognize.

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Unconventional Narrator: Brian Selznick

In his novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznick introduced us to a striking and, to my knowledge, unique style of storytelling.  Hugo Cabret alternated between prose narration and sections where there were no words, only pictures.  In other … Continue reading

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Trail

Google+ Writing Circle ProjectChallenge Word: Trail             Obadiah returned with his simple wooden bowl and Ezekiel took it.  “Let us contrive a tool,” he said to his servant, and he laid the hairs into the bottom of the bowl and … Continue reading

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